Cauliflower Pizza Base

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

Who knew that the humble, unassuming cauliflower could be so versatile? Certainly not me… before Banting anyway… Now it seems like I can’t go a meal without adding cauliflower to it, in some form.

(I actually think that I might have developed a “morbid fascination” at seeing how far I can push the cauliflower experimenting ;))

What amazes me the most is that you can hardly taste the cauliflower in most of the recipes. I would have expected the cauliflower to overpower the dish, because of the smell alone! But it doesn’t 🙂

Like in this cauliflower pizza base – I honestly think that if you gave it to someone who didn’t know how you made it that they wouldn’t guess that you made it with cauliflower. I dare you to put it to the test and report back. Ok? Ok! 🙂

Cauliflower Pizza Base

Ingredients:

1 Cup cooked “riced” cauliflower *see directions below
1 Large Egg
1 Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
1 tsp dried oreganum
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius
Chop up raw cauliflower into florets and add to food processor (half a head of cauliflower roughly equates to one cup of cooked “riced” cauliflower)
Pulse until it becomes “couscous”-like in consistency
Cook couscous cauliflower, covered, in microwave for about 6 – 7 minutes until tender. Stirring every few minutes.
At this point, it is advisable to remove as much liquid from the cooked cauliflower as possible. Place in a kitchen towel and ring out. Transfer to a bowl
Add egg, cheese and seasoning to cooked cauliflower and mix to combine
Transfer “dough” to a baking tray, covered in lightly greased baking paper
Pat mixture out thinly onto the baking paper, to form a pizza base
Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes until golden and crispy
At this point I like to brown the other side
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then remove gently from baking paper, being very careful not to break the base
Flip upside down and grill the non-golden side for about 10 minutes

Spread homemade tomato sauce over the base
Sprinkle with more mozzarella cheese and toppings of your choice
I used crispy bacon, mushrooms, caramelized onion, spring onion and more cheese
Put under the grill for another 10 minutes and then top with fresh avo.

There is nothing else to say but, DELICIOUS!

Low Carb Seed Bread

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

I long for a bread that tastes delicious, is moist, not as hard as a rock and that doesn’t send daggers of pain shooting into my stomach with every mouthful – and this bread fits the bill!

I am loving this low carb diet, but I am loving the challenge of modifying recipes and experimenting with different ingredients and techniques even more.

I have been on an elimination diet since 2009 – back then I was baking without gluten, dairy, eggs, yeast and sugar, which was an immense challenge, but actually creating something quite delicious that was similar in texture and taste to the real thing was the best feeling!

This recipe is an amalgamation of various recipes and I think that this version is yummy – nothing quite beats a slice of bread, fresh out of the oven slathered in a thick layer of butter!

Low Carb Seed Bread (51.89g carbs per loaf)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup ground sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground sesame seeds
3/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
60ml liquid coconut oil (warming the solid coconut oil, creates the liquid)
1 tsp bicarb
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
120ml warm water
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs birch bark xylitol

Optional:

1 tsp whole sesame seeds
1 tsp whole sunflower seeds
1 tsp chai seeds
And a mixture of seeds for sprinkling on the top of the bread

Directions:

Heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius
Grease a small bread tin – this recipe doesn’t rise as much as other breads, so using a smaller tin should give you some extra height
Grind seeds in a coffee grinder
Combine ground sunflower seeds, ground sesame seeds, ground flax seeds, almond flour, coconut flour and salt
Beat eggs until fluffy and slowly add coconut oil
Mix the bicarb and vinegar together until it froths and bubbles
Add it to the warm water along with the baking powder and xylitol
Add the remainder of the ingredients to the eggs, alternating between the dry ingredients and the warm liquid
Stir well to combine
Add in the whole seeds if using
Transfer mixture to the greased bread tin
Sprinkle with seeds for decoration
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until crispy on the top
Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving

A Confession: The day I ate all the food and drank all the wine

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

I’m sure if you’re like me – which you probably are a bit, if you’re reading this blog – sometimes you just want to let loose and eat all the food and drink all the wine, without a single care in the world!

Well, sometimes that’s exactly what I want to do! And I have a wrestling match inside my head that goes a little like this:

Me 1: “It’s such a beautiful day outside – the perfect day to sit at a wine farm and drink some wine and eat some delicious food.”

Me 2: “Oh oh, a wine farm, you’re about to walk into a web of temptation.”

Me 1: “But you’ve worked so hard, you deserve a day off.”

Me 2: “You don’t get days off. You know how you feel when you drink wine and eat food you shouldn’t.”

Me 1: “But it’s a public holiday – let me have some fun.”

Me 2: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you…”

You see with me, there’s ALL or nothing… I’m not a middle of the road kind of person. If I want to drink wine, I want to do it properly, and taste everything that’s on the menu – and then I also want to pair it with different foods. I like to embrace the moment fully – life is for living and being in the moment (and all of those cliches).

But, what I keep forgetting is that my love of food and wine got me into this situation in the first place. Because of my Candida and carbohydrate resistance – I CAN’T eat all the food and drink all the wine like my friends can, even though sometimes I like to convince myself that I can.

Like I did this last weekend.

We went to a wine farm, where I just so happen to know the chef – so we had to do the wine and food pairing, of course, and then he bought us a cheese platter with bread! And, of course, we had another glass of wine (to share) and then some friends called and wanted to have some drinks – so we had some more wine – and then we were feeling hungry and so decided to go for dinner, where my excited (wine muddled brain) decided to order exactly the wrong thing on the menu…

And so… I’m pretty sure you can guess what happened…

My body went into complete shock and disbelief and proceeded to do whatever it could to get all of the acid-forming foods out of itself – which it did for the whole night and the whole next day. This meant that I was completely useless for 2 days – my head ached, my body ached, there was absolutely nothing left inside me and I couldn’t eat anything without it coming back up again. My mood was below zero, I was feeling sorry for myself and incapable of doing any constructive work (which is a problem when you realise that you are self employed).

I keep saying that my body is my temple and that I am what I eat – but sometimes I need to be reminded of these facts, the hard way.

So yes, I do wish that I could eat whatever I wanted to without feeling ill. But, I know how good I feel when I listen to my body and fuel it with all of the foods it loves – because not only does my body love those foods, the foods love me back too. I feel like I’m on top of the world, capable of achieving anything, as opposed to hating life and wishing I could crawl under a rock and die, when I eat the wrong things.

If there is some advice that I can give you, from my own experience, keep reminding yourself of how good you feel when you eat the foods that your body enjoys.

We all have those bad days, and sometimes we are placed in situations where we can’t avoid eating the bad things. But, don’t be like me and run head first into an eating and drinking frenzy that you know you’ll regret in the morning. If you do – forgive yourself and carry on giving your body what it loves, the very first instance that you can! 🙂

Baking Banting Part 1: Sugar, Artificial Sweeteners and Natural Sweeteners

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

Baking is not for everyone – and neither is the Banting lifestyle, according to Professor Tim Noakes.

If you are carbohydrate resistant, meaning that your body struggles to remove glucose from your bloodstream, which causes the pancreas to over-secrete insulin, thus directing the glucose into the fat cells, where it is stored as fat – resulting in increased weight gain, continual hunger, lethargy and irritability – then this diet is for you.

And is it for me, as a Candida sufferer, and a person that has struggled with stomach issues, weight problems and a myriad of other symptoms, for most of my life.

But, if your body can metabolise carbohydrates effectively and you do not put on any weight, despite eating a high carbohydrate diet, then you may not benefit in any way from this eating plan.

Although, in the same breath, when it comes to baking and eating dessert, the healthier the better, in my opinion, no matter your body type.

Sugar has been proven to be as addictive as cocaine and heroine and is the catalyst of many ailments including heart disease, liver disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and of course obesity.

What’s even more shocking, as an avid food label reader for over 5 years (this comes with the territory when you have to eliminate certain foods from your diet), sugar is in practically every ready-made product imaginable; breads, sauces, ready-made meals, drinks, tinned foods, low-fat products, the list goes on and on… Is it any wonder that so many of us are suffering from poor health?

Our body is not designed to consume so much sugar, in fact, according to Professor Tim Noakes, our body can only accommodate 8 grams of glucose at a time.

Fructose, dubbed as the “healthy sugar” as it is said to be found in fruit – is not removed from our bloodstream like glucose, via insulin, but is rather left to the liver to remove and when the liver becomes overwhelmed with the amount of fructose it contains, it converts it into liver fat, which increases our chances of insulin resistance, hardened arteries and heart disease.

Fructose also suppresses the hormone leptin, which tells you when you are full. In other words, your brain lets you consume it without limit.

Knowing these facts about sugar should be enough to eliminate it from your life, or at the very least, your baking. But what would you substitute the sugar with as artificial sweeteners are known to be unhealthy for you?

There are a number of natural sweeteners on the market, such as stevia and erythritol, but my natural sweetener of choice is Xylitol and only the birch bark kind because it contains zero carbs. Xylitol has similar baking properties to sugar and can be substituted more or less 1 to 1.

As with every product, the quality varies. If you are unsure of what is in a product, I highly recommend finding out from the manufacturer because your health is at stake.

Some Xylitols are made from corn cobs, and hopefully not the corn itself, while other makes of Xylitol may spike Diabetics because the manufacturer has included extra ingredients in the Xylitol.

For this reason, I choose to use Sally-Ann Creed’s Xylitol as I can trust that I am getting the best product, which is extremely important to me, not just for my own health, but for my customers as well.

I pride myself on selecting my suppliers with care because I not only want to ensure a pleasurable eating experience for my clientele, but a beneficial one too.

I am a proud re-seller of Sally-Ann’s Xylitol, please contact me if you would like to make a purchase, or you can buy directly from her.

Fairs, Markets and Expos with Cocoafair, Sally-Ann Creed and Jonno Proudfoot

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

The last month has been quite a wild ride since leaving my previous job of 10 years, which had nothing to do with food, and taking a leap of faith to focus on Sweet Like Candi full time.

I am so grateful for the people who have come into my life and have provided encouragement, support, helpful tips, advice and knowledge.

Such people that spring to mind are Morne, Thelo and particularly Heinrich from Cocoafair. This Chocolate Factory is more like a family than a business – and I truly feel like I am one of the family. Going above and beyond comes naturally to them, and being the first 100% organic bean to bar chocolate factory in Africa, based on social entrepreneurship, cements all the right ingredients in place.

They see chocolate making as both an art-form and a mechanism for positive social change. Not only is their message and belief system a powerful one – their chocolate is the best I’ve tasted. You can tell that it is made with love, pride, passion and care and that they are as enthusiastic about chocolate as the most stringent chocolate lover!

Because they have such a strong belief in organic produce, I knew that this chocolate and their cocoa would be perfect for my baking – I pride myself on using only the best; our bodies are our temples, and eating sweet treats should not deviate from this principle.

My very first fair EVER was the Constantia Waldorf School Fair of The Heart, which seemed quite fitting as I am all about heart. The emphasis was on the environment and the community and they were expecting 6000 people to attend the event. WHAT?! How much do I need to bake for 6000 people??

There was a lot of baking involved – 20 batches of truffle squares, 7 cakes and over 200 cupcakes. A lot of sweat and tears, (although none in the baked goods :p) not much sleep, a sense of humour failure and much behind the scenes preparation. Thank goodness for my wonderful boyfriend who kept me sane and helped me wherever he could.

Yes! The day was a success, everyone loved my Banting goodies and I knew that I was on the right track. I learned a lot from the day and learning is invaluable.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Chocolate Truffle Squares

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Truffle Squares

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Constantia Waldorf School Fair Stand

Constantia Waldorf School Fair

I took what I had learnt onto the next one.

The Women’s Lifestyle Expo – a 3 day event and the ultimate showcase for the latest products and services for women and families. Cocoafair was going to be there and so was The Real Meal Revolution team with talks given by Sally-Ann Creed and Professor Tim Noakes – I simply had to be there!

WHAT?! Little old me with not much experience and a company less than a month old – yes, yes – let’s do this! I phoned up Heinrich from Cocoafair, and asked him if I could share his space. He said he didn’t think it was possible because of the rules, but because he believed in me and my products, he talked them into giving me my own space. Life is amazing! So there I was with my space and my table and a feeling of determination in every fiber of my being!

In between this, I received an e-mail from the City Bowl Market to say that a spot had become available and that they’d love for me to start on the day before the Women’s Lifestyle Expo. Ok, no problem – I can do this. Gulp! 4 days in a row to bake for – so how much do I bake for that?? 😉

Because I am baking Banting – I wanted to be 100% sure of all the products I was using, so I tweeted Sally-Ann Creed, the generous and lovely nutritionist who co-wrote the Real Meal Revolution. She has been amazing with her advice. I asked her if I could start using her Xylitol in my baking because I could trust that it would be the best with no funny additives in it and she happily said yes and accommodated me at extremely short notice – once again, here is an example of a lady willing to go above and beyond. Her encouragement, support and high praise of my venture has meant the world to me.

My first night at the City Bowl Market was awesome. People were truly excited to find out that all of my baked treats were gluten free, sugar free and Banting approved. One comment that sticks in my mind is “Birch bark Xylitol AND almond flour? How are you making any money?” 😉 I love it when people just get it. I fills me up with a sense of purpose and achievement. I want to help people by providing them with something that not many people offer. I’m excited to build my reputation and meet new folks as I continue to have a stall at the market.

On the final day of the Women’s Lifestyle Expo, I was on such a high. I had made so many fantastic contacts, met such enthusiastic individuals who were all in love with my products and were amazed that they tasted so good.

Easter Banting Cupcakes

Proud Re-seller of Sally-Ann Creed’s birch bark Xylitol

Signage

High praise from the authors of The Real Meal Revolution

Women’s Lifestyle Expo Stand

The best part for me and the thing that makes it all worth while is the reaction I receive when someone bites into one of my goodies – their whole face lights up in wonder and enjoyment and that’s when I know I’ve done something right! 🙂

Jonno Proudfoot, creator of The Real Meal Revolution recipes, had one of those reactions when biting into my cupcake; which alone put me on a high for days! He could not believe how good it tasted or that it was so low in carbs, he kept having to double check with me to make sure. “Would you rather eat one of those amazing cupcakes or a peach?” He asked, “a cupcake”, I said and he said “So would I!”

What Jonno had to say

Sweet Like Candi, The Business

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

*Drum roll please* Isn’t it exciting? 🙂

My cakes, cupcakes and other desserts have been received with such enthusiasm and delight that I have decided to make it my business. What could be more amazing than doing what you love every day and making people happy? Not much… *does happy dance*

I specialise in cakes, cupcakes and other desserts that are all sugar free, gluten free, LCHF, Banting and some are even Diabetic friendly. I have also catered for dairy free and Coeliac clients.

I have always believed that just because you have limitations with what you can eat, doesn’t mean that the food you eat shouldn’t be delicious!

All of my GOODies are made with the best ingredients possible.

Currently, my line of products include:

Sweet:

1. Chocolate Truffle Squares with Macadamia Nuts (3.87g carbs) R25 each – gluten free, sugar free, LCHF, Banting, Diabetic Friendly. These are similar to brownies, but contain no flour. Made with Cocoafair’s 95% organic chocolate and birch bark Xylitol

2. Chocolate Truffle Cake topped with fresh berries and chocolate shards (29.78g carbs in the whole cake, excluding berries) R300 per cake – similar to the truffle squares, only a bigger version with no nuts

3. Red Velvet Cupcakes (4g carbs) R30 each – made with almond flour and birch bark Xylitol with a vanilla cream cheese icing

4. Double Chocolate Cupcakes (4.5g carbs) R30 each – made with almond flour, birch bark Xylitol and Cocoafair organic chocolate

5. Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cheesecake Icing (3.8g carbs) R30 each – made with almond flour, birch bark Xylitol, with real lemon and cream cheese icing

6. All cupcakes can be made into cakes: R300 for a single layer and R600 for a double layer

*Please ask about dairy free options

Savoury:

1. Small Spinach, Feta and Red Pepper Crustless Quiches (3.5g carbs) R25 each

2. Small Bacon and Mushroom Crustless Quiches (3.5g carbs) R25 each

3. Please ask about my range of breads, cauli-wraps and cauli pizza bases

4. Introducing my new heat and eat range of products – please inquire for more details

You can find me at The Oranjezicht market on Saturdays from 9am to 2pm.

I cater for all events such as birthdays, cocktail parties, tea parties, dinner parties, work functions or simply order just because you deserve a treat! 🙂

The food journey continues…

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Sweet Like Candi

The only constant in life is change, so they say… And boy, how this sentence has applied to me over the last 3 or 4 years since I moved to Cape Town! The word ‘change’ particularly centres around food. The … Continue reading →

Lemon and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Spiced Almond and Coconut Crumble for World Diabetes Day

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Sweet Like Candi

Today, more than ever, I am astounded at the way that life works.

Tomorrow morning, I will be cooking the below recipe on LIVE tv for an audience of about 1.2 million people (so no pressure there haha).

A chance suggestion has resulted in this monumental occasion in my life – life just seems to fall into place when the timing is perfect, don’t you think? Although I am beyond nervous (which is natural right?? ;)) – the excitement is starting to take hold of me.

I. AM. GOING. TO. BE. ON. TV. (Sound the trumpets and throw the confetti)

I have to pinch myself every so often to remind myself that it’s real… Yay, to 5 minutes of fame – here I come! 🙂

There is another reason why making this recipe means so much to me and that’s because my step mother is Diabetic. I have witnessed her journey back to health, have seen her highs and lows (literally – as she has spiked) and have been amazed at her courage and tenacity. I have also noticed her fall in love with food again, through her discovery of exciting recipes that make her feel fantastic at the same time.

Nothing can compare to the feeling of being healthy!

Seeing her excitement at food return has increased my passion for creating healthy sugar free and gluten free recipes even more!

My step mom has discovered that it was the hidden carbs in the foods she was eating that was making her spike – as these turn to sugar in the body. I can’t encourage you to read food labels enough; familiarise yourself with everything you’re putting into your body. Your body is your temple! A Diabetic should have no more than 20g of carbs per day.

I have used Stevia in this recipe, which is a natural sugar substitute made from the plant with the same name. It has no carbs and is recommended as the sugar-substitute of choice for Diabetics. It is 200+ times sweeter than sugar, so every drop counts. I encourage you to taste as you go, to figure out the sweetness that is best for you.

(I made this recipe for 9 of my friends over the weekend, none of whom are Diabetic, and they all enjoyed it too :))

This light and fresh dessert is simple to make and perfect for the Summer months coming up. I hope you enjoy every mouthful with complete abandon and joy!

Lemon and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Spiced Almond and Coconut Crumble

(Makes 4 – 6 depending on size of the mould)

Total number of carbs per serving 3.9g (depending on size of panna cotta)

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Setting/ chilling time: 4 hours

Spiced Crumble Ingredients:

40g whole almonds with skin, coarsely ground
40g coconut flakes
15g melted butter
¼ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp cinnamon
8 drops Health Connection Wholefoods Stevia Liquid
½ Tbs grated lemon zest
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Panna Cotta Ingredients:

1 Cup (250mls) Clover Cream
1 Cup (250g) Pick n Pay Cultured Cream
1 Vanilla Bean, sliced down the middle
1 Tbs Lemon Zest
30 drops Health Connection Wholefoods Stevia Liquid
1 Tbs water
3 leaves gelatine softened in water for 15 minutes

Method:

• Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• Mix all crumble ingredients together
• Press out onto a lined oven sheet
• Bake for 10 minutes, until crumble has become golden in colour
• Allow to cool

• Spray moulds with spray and cook
• Add cream and cultured cream to a pan on the stove
• Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod and add the pod and seeds to the pan
• Add the lemon zest, stevia and water
• Gently heat mixture, stirring with a whisk until it is smooth – do not boil!
• Simmer gently, allowing the zest and vanilla to infuse the liquid for about 10 minutes, stirring intermittently – still do not allow the mixture to boil
• Add gelatine (squeeze out all the water)
• Whisk well to combine
• Strain mixture through a mesh sieve to remove zest and vanilla pod
• Pour mixture into panna cotta moulds
• Chill in the fridge for 4 hours

• To remove panna cotta from mould, take a knife around the rim of the mould to help loosen the panna cotta
• Place the panna cotta mould in a shallow hot water bath for a few seconds until you see the panna cotta start to come away from the edges
• Turn over onto a plate
• Sprinkle the crumble over and finish off with a few strands of lemon zest

Catch me on @expressoshow | facebook.com/expressoshow.sabc3 tomorrow at 6:37am 🙂

In case you missed it, here’s the link to my Expresso Show debut 🙂

Pan Fried Fillet of Fish with Avo and Coconut Veloute topped with Avo and Horseradish Ice Cream and Sweet Chilli Sauce

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Sweet Like Candi

It’s official, avo has taken over my life! I eat, dream and think about it constantly (this is not a bad thing :p)… And yay, all that thinking paid off as I finally figured out how to put my savoury ice cream to good use! 😀

This is my third and final entry into the “More than just guacamole!” Afrikado Blogger Challenge, held by ZZ2 Farming and it is quite a mouthful!

Pan Fried Fillet of Fish with Avo and Coconut Veloute, topped with Avo and Horseradish Ice Cream and Sweet Chilli Sauce

(Serves 2)

Avo and Horseradish Ice Cream:

(It’s a good idea to prepare this the night before)

Ingredients:

1 egg
3/4 cup milk (I used lactose free)
3/4 cup double thick cream
Flesh of 1 ripe medium sized avocado
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3 1/2 tsp horseradish (I wanted to use fresh, but couldn’t find it anywhere. Eventually I found prepared horseradish, which didn’t contain vinegar or sugar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Whisk egg and milk in a pan on the stove, over low heat, until it forms a loose custard – be careful not to split or curdle
Strain to remove any residue and add mixture to a blender
Add double cream and mix
Add flesh of avocado and mix until smooth. It should thicken immediately
Add horseradish, lemon and salt and pepper (gradually add these as the horseradish can become quite overpowering) and taste
It is very important to keep tasting
Once you are happy with the flavour, freeze for a minimum of 4 hours

Sweet Chilli Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 – 3 Tbs water
2 Tbs chilli (if you are using fresh make sure it is finely chopped or you can use dried)
2 Tbs Xylitol (sugar substitute)
A pinch of salt
Juice of a lemon

Directions:

Add water, chilli, Xylitol and salt to a pan
Cook on low heat until sauce thickens
Add lemon juice and cook further, on low heat, you don’t want the lemon to go bitter
When it takes on a reddish tinge and Xylitol becomes quite sticky remove from pan and allow to cool
Flavour should be sweet, tangy, with a hint of heat

Avo and Coconut Veloute:

Ingredients:

1 Tbs butter
1 small white onion, finely diced
2 more Tbs butter
2 Tbs cornstarch (original recipe calls for flour, I replaced this)
1 1/2 cups fish or chicken stock (I used Fish Stock Concentrate from Woolies as it contains no yeast, gluten or sugar), heated in a separate pan
1/2 cup coconut milk, preferably cold (to cool down the sauce so not to cook the avo)
Flesh of 1 ripe medium sized avocado, mashed (preferably cold, to cool down the sauce so you don’t cook the avo)
10g parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

A veloute is a white sauce that is made with stock instead of milk
Fry onion in butter until translucent
Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and the corn starch and stir until it forms a roux. Cook out for a few minutes on low heat
Gradually add the hot stock and keep stirring until the sauce thickens
Allow to cool for a bit before adding the coconut milk and the mashed avo
blend well
Sieve to remove the onion so you are left with a smooth sauce
Return to stove on very low heat, to gently heat through
Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste
Finish off with a dollop of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice

Other ingredients:

2 fillets of firm fish, with skin still on (I used Jacopever, which I was assured was on the green sassi list)
Mashed potato
Micro herbs

overall Directions:

Make ice cream as illustrated above and freeze for 4 hours. Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before plating
Make chilli sauce (can also be prepared the night before)
Make your mash (an excellent way to make mash is to bake the potatoes in their skins. Once they are cooked, remove skins and then mash with a fork, this will result in a fluffy mash with no lumps. Add butter, a little milk, salt and pepper)
Make veloute as illustrated above
Pan fry your fish fillets. Score the skin to make it look pretty (cutting through the skin only, diagonally about 3 times, a few cms apart). Season the skin with salt
Add some oil to a pan and heat. When the pan is hot add the fish, skin side down
Season the flesh side with salt
The fish will want to curl up a bit, press it down so that it cooks evenly for a few minutes
You will notice that the flesh will change colour (become whiter)
When the colour change is about 1/4 of the way up the fish, flip over and cook for a further few minutes on the other side
Add a bit of butter to the pan and spoon over the fish to give it a nice golden colour
Remove fish from pan

Plating:

Add your mash to the centre of the plate
Pour your veloute around it
Place your fillet of fish on top of the mash
Add a dollop of the ice cream on top of that
Finish off with a drizzle of chilli sauce (not too much, as it is supposed to lift the dish, not kill it) and a few micro herbs

And there you have a stunning fish dish zinging with a multitude of flavours. Wow your guests are your next dinner party 🙂

Avo, Vanilla and Burnt Honey Ice Cream

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Sweet Like Candi

I love how so many things in life are created from a progression of experiments. This ice cream is no exception and in fact the inspiration for this particular ice cream came from a completely mundane task, walking up the stairs! (The smell of burnt honey drifted into my subconscious and tickled my nostrils.)

I wanted to include an ice cream in my previous post – the duo of avo starter, but somehow, it just didn’t work when paired with the other components. Although it tasted quite amazing.

I was still fixated on the idea of a savoury ice cream and was racking my brains, trying to think of dishes to include it in, while walking up the stairs, when this ice cream shoved all thoughts aside and demanded to be created.

So, on a whim, in the early hours of a weekday morning, when it was still dark outside and the world was sleeping – I set my vision free.

In my opinion, avo was born to become ice cream. These flavours compliment each other so well and the burnt honey adds a subtle dimension that lifts the vanilla custard to another level. It is a creamy, smooth ice cream with nutty caramel tones that has to be tasted to be understood.

This is my second entry in the “More than just guacamole!” Afrikado Blogger Challenge, held by ZZ2 Farming

Avo, Vanilla and Burnt Honey Ice Cream

(Makes about 1 litre)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups full cream milk (I used lactose free and it worked perfectly)
2 vanilla pods, slit down the middle to scrape out the seeds
1/4 cup Xylitol (sugar substitute)
1 1/2 cups double thick cream
Flesh of 2 ripe avocados
4 Tbs honey and extra for the caramelized honey garnish

Directions:

Add eggs, milk, vanilla pods and seeds, and Xylitol to a pan on the stove
Whisk over low heat until it just forms a loose custard – be careful not to split or curdle. Gently does it
Strain mixture to remove vanilla pods
Add double cream and blend in a mixer
Add avos and blend. The mixture should thicken instantly
Heat honey in a pan on the stove, over low heat, until it just changes colour, becomes thick and sticky and you can smell it becoming slightly burnt
Let it cool for a while
Add the ice cream mixture to the honey and stir to combine. You may need to heat gently because the honey will become hard very quickly
Freeze the ice cream for a minimum of 4 hours
To make the caramelized honey garnish; heat some honey on the stove until it changes colour and becomes sticky and thick. Drizzle to form a decorative shape on a tin foil covered tray. It will harden as it cools. Gently peel off from the tin foil and decorate your ice cream

*If you have Candida, honey should not be consumed in large quantities.